Chapati being in our daily menu, I make different curry or sabji for lunch and dinner which contains good amount of nutrition in it. I am following this trait from my mom whose variety of curries was most adorable. We used to happily carry them in our lunch box throughout our school and college life. She used to prepare this Ridge Gourd Curry in different way, wherein she used to add Groundnut and Roasted Channa Dal (Putani) Powder. This was added for most of the curries she used to make which would give slight sweetish taste. I also add Jaggery for some of the Curries. Jaggery is optional, if you dislike sweetish taste.
We can prepare variety of dishes using this vegetable Ridge Gourd like Ridge Gourd Chutney, Ridge Gourd Bonda and even Ridge Gourd Dosa (Refer Sweet Potato Dosa blog). Ridge Gourd is somewhat bland in nature. But once you make dishes out of it, the ridge gourd absorbs all the added spices and gives an extraordinary taste. So for me the addition of jaggery enhances sweetness in the curry. In olden days, people used to make those ridge gourd dishes without peeling its skin (just scrape the rough edge). Actually its skin has more nutrition than the pulp. But now we get vegetables coated with pesticides. So we pathetically discard the skin. If you grow it in your home garden then you can surely make use of its complete nutrition.
Now coming to the recipe part, it is very simple. The work is to peel and cut the veggies; make Groundnut+Roasted Channa Dal powder ready before you start cooking. Prepare Groundnut+Roasted Channa Dal powder in little extra quantity and store it in an airtight container. You can use this to many curries and can be stored up to a month. Just do the seasoning, fry the veggies and cook them.
Add powders and cook till the vegetable becomes soft. Add the Groundnut+Roasted Channa Dal powder at the end. This gives thickness to the curry and also enhances the taste. Adjust the thickness by adding more water. Garnish with loads of chopped Coriander Leaves. This goes very well with Chapati/Roti. Relish this saucy spicy Ridge Gourd curry with your family.
Ridge Gourd Curry Ingredients:
- Ridge Gourd – 1 Big Sized
- Onion – 1 Medium Sized
- Tomato – 1 Big Sized
- Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
- Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 tsp
- Jaggery – 2 tsp (Optional)
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Coriander Leaves
Groundnut + Roasted Channa Dal (Putani) Powder Ingredients:
- Groundnuts – 2 Tbsp
- Roasted Chickpea / Channa Dal (Putani) – 2 Tbsp
Seasoning Ingredients:
- Oil – 1 Tbsp
- Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
- Jeera / Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Curry Leaves
Time to Prepare: 20 Minutes
Serves: 3
How to Make Ridge Gourd Curry:
1. Roast the Groundnut slightly for 5 minutes. Once it cools down, transfer them to small mixer jar. Add Roasted Channa Dal (Putani) to it. Prepare coarse powder by using whipping button. Do not powder it completely. Transfer this powder to an airtight container.
2. Clean and peel the outer covering of the Ridge Gourd, wash once again and chop it into small pieces. In the same way, clean and chop the Onion and Tomatoes; keep these above items ready before you start the process. Heat Oil in a pan, add Mustard Seeds.
3. Once the Mustard Seed splutter; add Jeera followed by Curry Leaves. Now add chopped Onion, sprinkle Turmeric Powder.
4. Saute till Onions become translucent. Now add chopped Tomatoes. Cook the Tomatoes till they become soft.
5. At this stage, add chopped Ridge Gourd and mix well by sauteing for a minute. Then add a Cup of water to the pan. Close the lid of the pan and allow the Ridge Gourd to cook for about 7 to 8 minutes in medium flame.
6. Open the lid; add Salt, Red Chilli Powder and Garam Masala Powder. Mix well.
7. Add Powdered Jaggery, stir once. Then add Groundnut + Roasted Channa Powder and mix well. This powder gives thickness to the Ridge Gourd Curry and gives more taste. Adjust the thickness by adding water to the curry. Finally add chopped Coriander Leaves and remove from flame.
Serve Ridge Gourd Curry with Chapati or Roti
